General Demo Critique?

Steve Royal · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008, 10:54 (GMT) Post subject: General Demo Critique?

Hi,
I've been using this demo (with some minor variations) for a few months now. I've landed a few gigs with it, but I would really appreciate your opinions.
Go on, be ruthless.....I can take it (I hope)!!
Very Happy

Steve

Scott Pollak · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008, 13:28 (GMT) Post subject:

Hey Steve,

It's always a bit difficult for me to critique an Aussie's or Brit's demo without bias because I do love the accent so much, as I do yours.

But let me see what I can offer.
For starters, lose the opening slate. Pros don't use 'em.

I listened to your demo 3 times so I could really analyze it and I found each of the times I listened to it I started drifting away. Without trying to break down each individual byte here, I'd say that what I realized is that there is a lot of decent work here that is innocuous. None of it is bad, but it just................ is. There's really not much going on here, just an okay delivery by a pleasant voice. I really never FELT anything coming from you. I could imagine a client saying, "Let's use Steve! We like his voice! Here, Steve, read this copy." And thus you did. You can read copy just fine, but I never felt any connection between you and the listener. I wish I could offer more help than that, but I can't. I kept really wanting to love your demo, but I found it to be the audio equivalent of fast food. Tasty enough for the moment, but in the end, blending in with everything else out there and leaving no real impression afterwards.

I think you ought to work on finding copy that you can really pull some emotional content out of instead of generic mattress store and fuel card sales bits. I'd love to hear you reading something like an excerpt of Lord of the Rings in front of the fireplace.

Hope this helps!

Philip Banks · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008, 14:34 (GMT) Post subject:

Rather like my favourite musical instrument when played with no emotion, accenting, rhythm and using one note I will stop listening.

Forgive the rather clinical phrasing. Your instrument is great whereas the musician is lacking in ability or possibly confidence to try the high notes and let the emotion flow through.

At the moment you are Voice Overing at people and there's no future in that. Your problem is very easy to solve so no need to panic.

Good luck

Steve Royal · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2008, 23:18 (GMT) Post subject:

Hi Philip and Scott,
Thanks for that, I really appreciate it.
That's the sort of feedback I need!!

Unfortunately, those types of gigs have been my bread and butter for the last few years, but you're right-they are pretty ho-hum.

Philip, I don't think it's a matter of lack of confidence or ability-simply a lack of opportunity. I have to try to break away from the retail-type presentation.

OK....time to find me some new copy! Smile

...any suggestions?

Scott, I don't know about sitting in front of the fireplace ....it's a Total Fire Ban here at the moment!

Would sitting in an air-conditioned pub with an ice-cold beer in front of me be an acceptable compromise?
prost

Cheers!
Steve

Bob Bergen · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 00:19 (GMT) Post subject: Re: General Demo Critique?

Steve Royal · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 11:21 (GMT) Post subject:

Hi Bob,
It's probably much the same situation here as in your neck of the woods....there's retail, retail, and retail (ad nauseum!), but there's more to VO than matress warehouses!

Cheers!
Steve

Diane Havens · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 13:22 (GMT) Post subject:

Yes, Steve, but the style of delivery here for commercials here may be a bit different from UK commercials. I know one thing I like to do when I travel overseas is watch the commercials, listen to the radio -- they are very different in most places. I haven't been to the UK in a few years but on my last visit, the tone seems to be what you're putting forth here. But if you want to get more work in the US, unless they are looking specifically for that very classic Brit style (which is adorable, by the way) you may want to put something more "American" in nature on the demo.

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 13:29 (GMT) Post subject:

The style of delivery for commercials in the UK both on TV and radio is not as heard in Steve's demo's, well they wouldn't be would they? He's from Australia.

2 examples below. Both selected because they aren't quality productions. No disrespect to the client or the producer.

Diane Havens · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 13:56 (GMT) Post subject:

Oh, sorry, Philip (and Steve) -- yes, now I hear it -- typical American error!Forgive me. What would you pinpoint as the major difference in styles among the commercials in Australia, UK and US? Do they do as much "regular guy" stuff as we have here in the US nowadays?

Philip Banks · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 14:17 (GMT) Post subject:

No real difference. A bad English language commercial sounds the same in the UK, Australia and USA. My frame of reference is locally produced, small radio station commercials.

Here in the UK local station commercials tend to be voiced using ISDN, the process is one of "fax and dial". A producer calls the voice to check availability, faxes the script and then dials the ISDN numbers. For the smallest stations in the UK the rate per script is $32 and for the average sized station it's $38. I do this type of work every so often but some of my friends are working 9.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday doing at least one script every 15 minutes. At the average rate per script, you do the maths!

The reason people are hired for the poor quality (in terms of copy and content) ad's is that they have the ability to work quickly and make a pile of sh*t sounds quite good - Let's face it, if it were easy everyone would want to be a voice over.

Diane Havens · Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2008, 14:25 (GMT) Post subject:

But I thought everyone DID!

Steve Royal · Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2008, 01:36 (GMT) Post subject:

I agree Philip-high throughput, low quality, low paying reads are how many make a living. Unfortunately, the final product is exceedingly average!
Diane-don't worry about it.....a heck of a lot of Aussies mistake me for a pom as well!
Smile

Cheers!
Steve

Steve Royal · Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008, 11:32 (GMT) Post subject:

ok....I've given the demo a little facelift....

Feedback and cheques will be most welcome! Smile

Cheers!
Steve

Diane Havens · Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2008, 18:24 (GMT) Post subject:

You know, Steve, now may be a good time to tell you I hadn't really listened to more than a few seconds of your previous demo, or I most assuredly would have figured out that you were Australian. It didn't hook me, so to speak. This one was definitely more interesting, easy to listen to. I don't know how effective it would be as a demo, but the fact that I listened to the whole thing should be a positive sign. I hope that some of the demo gurus around here will give you a proper critique -- but I liked this one!

Steve Royal · Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008, 09:42 (GMT) Post subject:

Thanks, Diane!
Smile